Freelance Mechanical/Product Development Engineer (Mid-Level)

RKS Design; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 83,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

RKS Design is seeking a Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer to join our multidisciplinary team in Thousand Oaks. You will contribute to the full product development lifecycle, from concept through production, applying Psycho-Aesthetics and collaborating with designers, researchers, and clients.

The role demands hands-on problem-solving across diverse products, strong CAD skills, and experience with manufacturing processes (injection molding, sheet metal, machining), enabling

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• Approximately 6–8 years of professional product development/mechanical engineering experience.
• Strong proficiency with parametric 3D CAD and experience creating production-ready mechanical designs.
• Working knowledge of sheet metal, machining, castings, additive manufacturing, and other common manufacturing processes.
• Experienced developing mechanical assemblies and integrating off-the-shelf components into product designs.
• Understanding of GD&T, tolerance analysis, engineering drawings, and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA).
• Experience working with prototypes and taking products through multiple design iterations.
• Ability to identify engineering problems, investigate root causes, and develop practical solutions.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality mechanical, electro-mechanical, and assembly designs using parametric 3D CAD.
• Develop components and assemblies that balance engineering requirements, manufacturability, cost, aesthetics, and user experience.
• Participate in brainstorming sessions, design reviews, engineering reviews, and other cross-functional project meetings.
• Translate industrial design concepts into practical, manufacturable engineering solutions while maintaining the original design intent.
• Develop and maintain engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, bills of materials (BOMs), tolerance requirements, and supporting technical documentation.
• Build and evaluate prototypes and assist with testing and design verification.
• Perform tolerance analysis and identify potential mechanical, manufacturing, assembly, and reliability issues.
• Work with suppliers, prototype vendors, and contract manufacturers to obtain components, prototypes, tooling, and production parts.
• Review tooling and manufacturing designs to help ensure proper fit, finish, function, and production quality.
• Evaluate initial production samples for engineering and design intent and adherence to specifications and tolerances.
• Troubleshoot product and manufacturing issues, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend corrective actions.
• Assist with the design and review of manufacturing test fixtures and procedures.
• Support engineering efforts during design transfer and transition into manufacturing.
• Research and evaluate new materials, components, manufacturing technologies, and prototyping processes.
• Participate in client meetings and clearly communicate engineering recommendations, technical challenges, project progress, and potential solutions.
• Work with senior engineers and project leadership to maintain project schedules, identify risks, and meet project milestones.
• Contribute ideas for improving RKS engineering processes, tools, and best practices.

Skills

Parametric 3D CAD

Prototyping & testing

DFMA

Engineering problem solving

Project coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing knowledge

Communication skills

Product development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or related field

Tools

3D CAD software

Prototyping tooling

DFMA tools

Job description

RKS Design is seeking a Mid-Level Mechanical/Product Development Engineer to join our multidisciplinary team in Thousand Oaks. You will contribute to the full product development lifecycle, from concept through production, applying Psycho-Aesthetics and collaborating with designers, researchers, and clients.

The role demands hands-on problem-solving across diverse products, strong CAD skills, and experience with manufacturing processes (injection molding, sheet metal, machining), enabling